Once Upon a Time
by readwritelovelife
Summary: Little Cassy is having trouble sleeping without a bedtime story. Her older sister, Callie, desperate to save her sleep and her plans, calls in her parents to tell the girls and their brother, Alexander, a bedtime story that sounds somewhat familiar and all too real.
1. Cure to Insomnia

**AN: I created a fanfiction account a while back. But I have a _huge_ list of ideas and I didn't know which story to go with. I finally closed my eyes and just picked one. And so here it is.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything! Well, the plot is mine and some of the characters are mine, but everything else belongs Rick Riordan.**

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_"Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again." ~C.S. Lewis_

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The rustle of bed sheets and blankets broke through the barrier of pillows piled on top of the twelve-year old's head. "Cass!" she ground out in the dark through her teeth. "Go to sleep!"

Her sister seemed to oblige as the room was quiet . . . for all of three seconds. More movement came from Cassy's bed until she finally whined, "I can't." It wasn't for the first time that night that Callie had heard those words. "Not without a bedtime story." Or those ones.

Callie groaned, rearranging her pillow mountain so she could talk to her sister. "Cass, you're almost seven. You shouldn't _need_ a bedtime story!" The words were said in a vain hope, and Callie knew it.

"Lexi says you were his age when you stopped asking Momma to read you a bedtime story," Cassy pointed out matter-of-factly.

Callie groaned again. If it wasn't her little sister robbing her of her sleep, it was her little brother robbing her of everything else. Alexander knew every dirty little secret about her, and he gladly informed Cass of every embarrassing thing she'd ever done. Like the fact that she had been eleven when she'd told her mother that bedtime stories were for babies.

And he was _perfect_. He never got into trouble while Callie always got caught. The only thing she held over his head was his name, Lexi. Cass had called him that when she was younger because, let's face it, 'Alexander' is a mouthful. As she grew up and learned to pronounce his name properly, Callie had stepped in to do her sisterly duties and informed her that he _liked_ the name she had given him.

She would always remember his face the day Cassy came out of her kindergarten classroom searching for him, screaming out, "Lexi!" loud enough for all his friends to hear. Callie had been grounded for a week, but it had been so worth it.

The continuing rustling of Cass's blankets broke through her daydream and brought her back to reality. She was never going to get any sleep if Cassy kept this up. And she had to meet with Taylor tomorrow. It wasn't any day a pair of girls would be entering the sixth grade and Callie and Taylor planned to spend the entire day tomorrow to celebrate the ending of summer.

Cass was apparently spending the end of her summer testing the limits and seeing just how far she could go without Callie snapping.

But Callie needed her sleep, and so with a dramatic sigh, she uncovered herself from her blankets and made her way to the door in the dark. Cass cried out, "Where are you going? To the bathroom?" but Callie ignored her, intent on her mission.

Living in the same house for twelve years, provided Callie with the knowledge to get where she needed to go, even in the dark, though she stubbed her toe once on one of Alexander's thick books.

As she reached the door to her parents' room, Callie put up her hand in a stance to knock, but hesitated. "This is ridiculous," she muttered as her hand fell back to her side and she made her way back to her bedroom.

She was letting a six-year old get to her, to control her. She needed sleep for her day with Taylor tomorrow, not a lack of it caused by the annoyingness of her _little_ sister.

She was almost back to her room before she groaned and turned back, this time knocking sharply on the door that separated her from her parents.

When she was greeted with silence, she thought they were asleep. Like she should have been. But then a large _Thump!_ followed by bubbly laughter made her stand her ground instead of retreating back to her bedroom. "Oh, be quiet," a voice said. "It's not that funny!"

Callie heard soft footsteps and stepped back as the door was opened and her mother's form stood in the doorway, a mischievous smile she had no doubt learned from Callie's father. Her expression melted with concern as she saw her daughter standing in the hall. "Callie, what is it? What's wrong?"

Callie rolled her eyes to assure her mother that it was nothing but an irritation, but knew her mother's fears would not be calmed with a simple roll of Callie's bright eyes.

For as long Callie could remember, her mother had always been afraid of something. And each time her children came to her for something in the night, it was as if she were worried that that fear had come true. That they needed something more than a bedtime story or a drink of water or to be held after a nightmare.

And after whatever problem Callie and her siblings had was solved, her mother always looked relieved, though that look in her eyes never faltered. As if one day, they would come to her and her worst fears would be confirmed. Whatever she was afraid of would find them.

And it wasn't just her, but their father, too. Callie couldn't miss the sideways glances she gave him or the smallest touches he used to reassure her.

But the fear was only ever there for a split-second and then gone so fast it seemed that Callie had imagined it. Until it came back the next time someone knocked on their door in the middle of the night. No, the fear was never gone for too long.

"Cass says she can't sleep," Callie explained, noticing her mother's tense shoulders relax. "She says she needs a bedtime story." Callie rolled her eyes again, showing her mother she clearly thought it was ridiculous. "And I _have _to get to sleep for my day with Taylor tomorrow!"

Her mother smiled, not the mischievous one she'd worn as she opened the door but a relieved smile that told Callie her mother was glad it was a six-year old needing a story that required her attention and nothing else.

Though the mischievous smile did remind Callie of the noise she'd heard coming from the bedroom before the door was opened. "Mom, what was that noise? I heard a thump, and—" Callie stopped as she saw her mother trying her hardest not to laugh.

"When you knocked, you scared your father. He fell out of bed." She erupted into a fit of bubbly laughter and for the first time that night, Callie joined her. Her frustrations with her brother and sister were momentarily forgotten as she simply laughed at her father's childish antics.

"It's _not_ funny!" her father protested from inside the bedroom but that only made mother and daughter laugh harder. "Fine. Whatever," Callie's father pouted. "Everyone's always against me."

Callie's mother smiled, having gotten out her laughter and whispered, "Go get your brother, I'll tell you all a story." She turned to tell Callie's father what she was going to do, and Callie wasn't surprised to hear him beg to come with her. "Fine," she heard her mother's voice say. "But it's _my_ story. Understood?"

"Agreed," her father approved and Callie turned around, disgusted, as they sealed the deal with a kiss, and made her way to her brother's room.

Alexander was exactly where she thought he'd be: underneath his blankets, shining a light on his latest book.

She reached over and pulled off his blankets, watching as they landed on the floor, then winced as Alexander's light was flashed in her face.

"Hey!" he protested. "What'd you do that for, Cal? They just found out that Muffin was a goddess!"

Callie, angry enough that she was being deprived of sleep, was now even angrier that Alexander called her 'Cal'. He knew she hated it, even more than he hated being called 'Lexi' which he only put up with because it was Cass. She snatched the flashlight out of his hand and shone it on his book so she could see what messed up book he was reading that had muffin goddesses. _The Red Pyramid_. Ah, of course. Egyptians were so weird.

"Come on, get up," she demanded. "Cass wants a bedtime story, apparently she can't sleep without one. So, Mom is going to read her one. And you. And me. Now, come on. Hurry up." She used the flashlight to find where he had put his glasses and handed them to him after finding them on his bedside table.

"Why do you sound so agitated?" he asked as he put on his glasses. "You had Mom tell you bedtime stories since you were—"

"Eleven, yeah, I know," Callie acknowledged. "Did you _have_ to tell Cass that?"

She knew her brother's answer before he even gave it, though he still pretended to think about it before he answered, "Nope,"

"Just come on, you dweeb," Callie told him as she rolled her eyes.

Back in her own bedroom, her parents were already cuddled up next to Cass in her bed. Callie crawled in her own bed and under her own warm blankets, moving her feet so Alexander could sit on the edge.

After their mother made sure everyone was comfortable, she started her story. "This is a story about—"

"No!" Cassy cried and the look on their mother's face was so confused it was almost funny. Their mother was an extremely intelligent woman and wasn't easily baffled, though her youngest daughter had clearly done that.

Alexander took his chance to explain. "She wants you to start it, 'Once upon a time'. She has a thing for princesses lately. Says she's been dreaming about them for weeks."

Cass nodded and their mother tried again. "Once upon a time . . ."

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_"If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales." ~Albert Einstein_

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ONCE UPON A TIME there was a great kingdom ruled by a king who, learning from his predecessors did not rule alone. By his side was his wife, a woman as beautiful as the kingdom, and the ten members of his council.

Lord Poseidon made his contributions to his brother's kingdom by way of the seas. He took his ship, _The Argo_ on trips to the neighboring kingdoms and traded with them. In fact, he was so busy with his trade routes that he rarely had time to spend with his family in the kingdom until summer.

Lady Demeter worked the grounds of the castle, taking care of her gardens. She provided the castle and the people of the kingdom with fresh fruits and vegetables. Lady Demeter thoroughly enjoyed her work, though it is hard to say which she enjoyed more: her gardens or telling people the benefits of fiber.

Lord Ares was in charge of the king's armies. He trained them harshly as if there were always a war raging upon the kingdom. He was incredibly arrogant and rash but a brave warrior and an honored fighter, the only man the king could possibly entrust the care of his armies to.

Lady Athena was the king's most trusted advisory. She was an intelligent woman and the king trusted her advice beyond all others. She helped the king in times of great stress and her opinion was greatly valued.

Lord Apollo was adept at the practice of medicine and was counted on to heal all those that walked the halls through the castle, lords and servants alike. Lord Apollo also had a reckless side and the king attempted to control it by allowing him to play a part in the festivals and feasts, usually with his lyre or his haikus.

Lady Artemis was Lord Apollo's twin sister and a well trusted part of the king's council. Unsatisfied with living in the luxury of the kingdom, Lady Artemis and a few willing ladies hunted down escaped outlaws and felons; enemies of the kingdom. She and her Hunters tracked them down and brought them to justice in the king's courts.

Lord Hephaestus was the king's royal blacksmith. He forged weapons for his armies: swords, daggers, bows and arrows, all of the finest celestial bronze. When he wasn't forging weapons, he was innovating contraptions that often went awry and plagued the castle with their destruction.

Lady Aphrodite, wife of Lord Hephaestus, was a beautiful woman, and some even dared to say she was more beautiful than the queen. She believed whole-heartedly in the power of love and when not causing trouble by locking two people in a room together, she listened to the people of the kingdom. She listened to their troubles and their problems and did her best to care for them.

Lord Hermes was the royal messenger of the king. He, like Lord Poseidon, traveled to all the neighboring kingdoms on his ship, _George and Martha_. He relayed messages from the king to his allies in the neighboring kingdoms and transported messages of war on occasion. He was also often known to surrender to his mischievous and childish ways.

Lord Dionysus was under strict watch after defying the king's orders and going after a forbidden woman. He grudgingly fulfilled his duties to the kingdom by arranging the festivals and feasts in the king's honor. Although, Lord Dionysus was perfectly content as long as there was wine. And there was always wine if he had anything to say about it.

These ten members of the king's council were by no means the only resources of the king. Lady Hestia and Lord Hades provided an importance to the growth of the kingdom, even if they were not part of the ten of the council.

Lady Hestia was in charge of the servants of the castle. She took care of the castle itself, what so many of the council members, their families, and servants considered their homes. She was seldom seen walking the halls of the castle or any other space and to spot her was rare. She stayed out of sight and if one was graced with her presence they learned how very wise she was.

Lord Hades, brother to the king and Lord Poseidon, gave his attention to the cemeteries on the grounds. He cared for the men in the graves who lost their lives in battle, fighting for the king and for the kingdom. Lord Hades dubbed himself "The Lord of the Dead" and many people in the kingdom were fearful of him.

The king, Lord Zeus, his queen, Lady Hera, together with those part of the council, and those not, ruled the kingdom of Olympus. Together, they protected the people of the kingdom.

One night in mid-August, a woman ran through the forest to the castle grounds in search of help. As soon as she reached the doors, she banged against them as loud as she could and then again and again when no answer came.

She was looking behind her when the doors finally opened and the guard who faced her noticed her intense fear. She placed a hand on her enlarged belly, "Please," she begged.

The guard let her in without further delay and ordered a passing servant to wake the king and queen and tell them what had happened. He then, guided her down hallways of twists and turns, a labyrinth that the woman would surely never be able to find her way out of.

He guided her all the way to the doctor, Lord Apollo, and within a matter of mere minutes, they were joined by the king and queen, still in their bedclothes, having been woken in the middle of the night.

Hours and hours of excruciating pain later, the woman gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. The queen offered the woman a place in the castle for a few weeks until she was recovered.

A few weeks turned into four years and the woman became a servant to the queen. She watched her son grow up and play with the children of the council members.

But the woman harbored a dangerous secret, one that she feared would get her and her son killed, if the king and his council knew the truth. As much as she loved living her life within the gates of the castle, she and her child could stay there no longer. Not when her dark secret was deteriorating her time here.

So one evening, she faked illness so the queen would not come to her so early in the morning and request her services. She retired to her room early, packed a bag, and waited until she could be sure the rest of the castle was asleep.

It was well after midnight when she finally crept to the nursery where she could receive her child from his crib. Then she hurried through the labyrinth of hallways and passages that had confused her many years ago and out of the castle.

She was far away from the castle when she realized her mistake. As the child in her arms woke, it cried and it was not the whimpering of her son. She stripped off the blanket that covered the child's face and it was certainly not what she hoped for.

Bright grey eyes stared back at her, not the sea green orbs of her son. She had mistakenly taken the daughter of one of the council members. And it was far too late to fix her error.

It was then, when the moon was full and high, when the threat of the castle guards was imminent, that she made a decision that would affect her entire life. She ran.

She ran until she reached the docks and slipped, unnoticed, onto a ship that would take her to the neighboring kingdom of Crete. She would raise the child on her own. She couldn't hope to make up for the grave mistakes she had made, but she would try, for the little girl in her arms, and for her son.

The woman raised the girl, and her son was raised by the diverse personalities of the council to be king. For twelve years, each was unaware of their story. Unaware that their paths had crossed once upon a lifetime. And it took twelve years for them to come together, through a magical adventure, through all the battles they fought together and against each other. It took twelve years for them to find happiness and love, and to live happily ever after.

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_"Life itself is a most wonderful fairy tale." Hans Christian Anderson_

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". . . happily ever after. The end," their mother finished dramatically. She moved herself of the bed and into a position where she could kiss Cassy on her forehead, declaring the matter over. A bedtime story had been told, and now everyone could get some sleep.

But the six-year old child whose dreams had been filled with fairytale imaginings for the last few weeks, did not see that. Callie could see the fight that was coming, through the big green eyes that always had been so full of emotion.

"But . . . but that _can't_ be the end!" Cass protested. "You didn't finish it! What about the happy ever after? You just said they got it, but what about the 'venture and the love? And the secrets!" Cassy nearly exploded. "You didn't say what secret the lady was hiding! You have to finish the story!" she pleaded.

Callie rolled her eyes, knowing that Cass would fight this until she was satisfied with the story's ending. "Just finish the story, so I can get some sleep!" She would never admit that Cass had a point and that she wanted the answers to all her questions, too.

Their mother looked at each of her children, then at their father who was holding back a smile. She looked back at her children, then rolled her eyes and resumed her place next to Cassy. "I'll finish the story, though we may be here all night," she warned.

Cassy's bright green eyes widened, pleased that she'd gotten her way, eager to hear the rest of the story. Alexander straightened his glasses and laid down in a more comfortable position, ready for a long night. And Callie rolled her eyes, though the notion was less aggravated than before the very first _Once Upon a Time_. . .

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_"I live to write, but I read to live." ~Gail Gentry_

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**AN: This chapter is more backstory than anything else. Explaining about Cassy, Alexander, and Callie and the idea that this is a story within a story so to speak. It also explains the circumstances that lead to the next chapter.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter and the next one will come as soon as I finish it.**

**readwritelovelife **


	2. The Lost Child

**AN: I found fanficiton a long time before I actually signed up and I have read a lot of stories and a lot of Author's Notes in which the author is overjoyed at getting reviews and follows and favorites and to be honest, I found it all ridiculous. I understood the thanks the author had for the fans of their stories but I did not understand their need for it. I posted this a week ago and I was ecstatic when over the course of that week I gained four followers to this story and a favorite. I realized the entire idea of "I'm doing this for myself" was partially false, because seeing those follows and those favorites gave me the inspiration I needed to keep going when I was stuck or when I had ideas swimming out of my eyes. So, this chapter is for those four followers, and though it may not be much I am very thankful to each of you: sd1957, AnekC, imnotgoodwithusernames1234, and camicarr9921.**

**Disclaimer: Only Callie, Alexander, and Cass are mine. The world of Percy Jackson (even though it's a little stretched here) belongs to Rick Riordan.**

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_"The man who never reads, lives only once." George R.R. Martin_

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As Percy Jackson ran from his opponent, he couldn't help but smile. He couldn't help but laugh, though he was sure he was giving away his position.

Sure enough, the blond-headed girl that was chasing after him, caught his eye as she rounded the corner where he was hiding.

She seized his arm and with a great big smile, shrieked out, "Tag!" and ran away. She bounded down corridors, twisting in paths he couldn't recognize.

But even as a young child, Percy Jackson was not one to give up. And so, as fast as his four-legged legs could carry him, he followed the object of his attention down the turns she led him. Eventually though, for the girl was much faster than he could ever hope to be, he was lost.

He turned this way and that, and after finally picking a hall he had never been down before, he ran. His feet carried him to the end of a long hall with a wide door, and seeing no place else for the girl to go, he slipped inside the next room.

It was most certainly not what he expected. He stood in a big clearing, surrounded by trees, and there, on the floor was the girl.

As he made his way to her limp body he found that she was as cold as ice. "Do not be scared, young Percy Jackson," whispered a voice behind him.

He turned and discovered an old woman, her face covered in wrinkles, and her narrowed eyes as black as night. "What did you do to her?" he asked, determined not to show the fear he felt throughout every bone in his body.

The old woman smiled, though the friendly gesture did not change her petrifying appearance. "Let me tell you a story, Percy Jackson. A story you may not know at this day in time, but you will one day. For this story will be told throughout the kingdom of Olympus. The story of the Lost Child."

"Lady Athena's daughter," Percy answered automatically, though he did not know how. He had never heard of the Lost Child, but the old crone's smile widened and she nodded.

"Her name is Annabeth, Percy, a name that when spoken from your lips, will make it sound different to her ears. You and she have a great destiny to uphold, one that can only be accomplished once she has been found and safely brought back home."

"Found?" Percy echoed. "Where will she go?"

"Relax, the Lost Child will not be taken of her own free will, and neither will she return that way. But you must not be afraid of the woman who will take her, for she is not to blame, do you understand?"

The Lady Athena's daughter was to be kidnapped and Percy couldn't place the responsibility on the one who takes her? No, Percy didn't understand at all.

The old woman seemed to know that as Percy looked into her eyes to see they had changed. A series of images, Percy didn't recognize. A man being stabbed, a war raging on an unnamed battlefield, and a girl with a golden crown sitting on her blond hair as she lay dying.

"Only you can save the queen, Percy. And the Lost Child will be the greatest queen of all." Percy blinked and the woman was gone, leaving him alone with a dying girl. A girl who only minutes before had been laughing and playing in the halls with him.

If he couldn't save his friend, how would he be able to save the greatest queen of all? And he was sure of it now, this blond-haired girl that lay in his arms, was his friend.

He wanted to go back to their game and laugh with her but as she drew her final breath, he knew, even as a four-year old child, that his dream, his wish, was not possible now. And neither was saving the Lost Child, whether or not she was destined to be queen.

Percy closed his eyes hard, so the tears would not fall and when he opened them again, he was in a cemetery, standing over a freshly dug grave. His hand was squeezed and next to him stood, Lady Athena, with tears in her eyes.

"I am sorry, my lady, but there is nothing I can do," the king told her. "We must assume she is dead if she is not within the kingdom."

Lady Athena smiled though it was broken, and whispered her thanks to the king for doing everything he could. The king took his leave, and left a mother crying over her daughter's empty grave.

Percy felt his hand being squeezed again and Lady Athena drew a shaky breath. "All hope is not lost, Percy. Lord Zeus has not searched the remaining kingdoms. Annabeth may yet be alive, though when she will find her way home, I do not know."

"You will save her, Percy Jackson," a new voice said. Percy looked up to find Lady Athena gone and the old woman in her place. Her hand was cold as it held his. "Only you can bring her back home. It is your destiny, just as it is hers to be queen."

Percy shook his head. "I can't save her. I don't know where she is, or what even happened to her!"

The old woman's efforts were not deterred. "But you will one day," she promised. "You will risk everything to bring the Lost Child home. Your life, your family, even your heart."

Percy wanted to tell the crazy old crone that he didn't even have a family. That his mother had left him on the doorstep of the castle as soon as he was born. That his father was a nameless man who probably didn't even know he existed.

_She must have the wrong person_, Percy concluded. It was the only thing that made sense. For he could not risk everything when he had nothing.

* * *

_"I've been looking for you since the day I heard my first fairy tale."_

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Percy woke with the insane urge to make sure there were no ugly old women, no dying girls, no graves surrounding him while he stood over one he knew would forever be empty.

No, Percy Jackson was in his own bed, in his own bedroom. It had all been just a dream. He was not a four-year old child, scared and alone, but a fifteen-year old boy. Not scared. Not alone.

Percy got out of bed and made his way to the window, where he could see the sea. He watched the waves softly crashing against the beach and his labored breath evened.

The ocean had always had a calming effect on him he could not explain. It cleared his mind of any troubles or problems he didn't want to face. _A clear mind_, according to Lady Athena, _is a noble king's greatest weapon._

But now, the sea did not help. The dream that Percy had suffered through last night, was in the forefront of his mind. He had heard the story of the Lost Child when he was nine years old. He had begged and begged for Lady Athena to tell him why the whole of the kingdom was in a depression, why no one would talk to him. She had finally told him, it was the anniversary of her daughter's death.

Though he knew she refused to believe her daughter was actually dead. Under the nose of Lord Zeus, she had sought out information about her daughter for the last twelve years. Never finding any, but never losing hope.

If Percy's dream was right, the Lost Child was indeed alive and he would help her come home. But it couldn't be right, could it? The old woman in his dream _must_ have made a mistake. Maybe there was someone else named Percy Jackson who would save her.

Either way, he needed to talk to Lady Athena. Today was the twelfth anniversary and she was bound to be in a foul mood.

He dressed himself and made his way to the council room where he knew she'd be. He just hoped he could get a chance to speak to her before she was detained for hours upon hours.

And of course, he was wrong, as he watched the procession of Olympian Council members file into the hall.

He sighed, knowing he would have to wait. But there was no sense in wasting time, was there? Percy sprinted to the kitchen, and grabbed a handful of sugar cubes. Then, excitement flowing through him, he headed for the stables.

Anyone who knew Percy knew if he wasn't sitting in the sand and watching the sea, he was in the stables having a good old conversation with his most trusted steed, Blackjack.

Blackjack greeted him eagerly, though Percy was pretty sure he just smelled the sugar cubes. "Hey, Blackjack," he whispered as he fed his horse his handful of Blackjack's favorite snack.

Blackjack ate his food quietly and Percy laughed. "You know, one day I really need to stop giving these to you. You know they're not good for you."

Blackjack kicked his back leg in defiance as if he dared Percy to try and make him refrain from eating them. Percy shook his head and laughed again. "Alright, fine. I won't stop, but you know that I'm right."

"I can't be the only one who thinks it's weird that you talk to your horse," a voice said behind him. Percy turned and recognized his friend, Grover, standing in the doorway.

Grover was a servant, and because of his position, Lady Athena had always warned him to stay away. _Kings cannot keep servants as friends_, was a lesson he had heard for as long as he could remember.

And even though Grover was scared of nearly everything, including most of the Olympian Council, the dark, places deep underground, and bunny rabbits, an irrational fear of Grover's Percy would never understand, Grover was Percy's most trusted friend and he trusted the servant with his life.

"Hey, you can't condemn me for talking to horses, when you talk to trees. At least horses are living creatures."

Grover shuffled his feet and his face turned red. "Trees are alive!" he protested as he moved closer to Percy, though reluctant to be so near the horses. "And without them, you wouldn't—my lady!"

Percy turned and saw that Lady Athena was standing in the doorway to the stables her face tight and her mouth set in a grim line.

"I'll—um, leave you two to—um, talk, yeah. Alright bye." Grover sped out of there faster than one of those bunny rabbits he always feared would steal his celery.

Percy smiled as he watched him go but frowned as he turned to find Lady Athena's brilliant grey eyes on him. "I thought you were in a council meeting. I saw you go in. I wanted to talk to you but—"

"I left early," Lady Athena explained. "I received information shortly before the start of the meeting and I'm afraid because of that my mind was preoccupied during it."

"What information?" Percy asked, thankful for whatever it was. It had entranced her mind enough that she had left the council meeting—to come and seek him out?

Lady Athena smiled at his eagerness, though it did not seem to reach her eyes. "When you were young, I told you the story of my daughter, Percy, do you remember?"

Percy nodded. It was a day he would never forget as her face streaked with tears she'd long-forgotten how to shed.

"Ever since my daughter went missing, twelve years ago today, I have been searching for some news on her whereabouts, on her condition. Lord Zeus did not believe her important enough to start war by searching the other kingdoms and so the search for my daughter was finished before it even began."

Her grey eyes, dark from threatening tears were brightening now, as if someone had put a candle up to them and shown them light. Whatever news she had received today, had given her just a spark of hope, something she had lost the night her daughter was taken.

"Today, a man came to the castle. He caught me just before Lord Zeus called today's meeting and told me he has reason to believe my daughter is living in Crete. I don't know how he's so sure that it is her, but he is, and I'd be a fool not to believe him."

Percy wasn't so sure. Maybe the man was leading Lady Athena into a trap. She was wise and cunning, but blind where her daughter was concerned. She would not see anything coming.

"Percy, I would be a fool not to believe him," Lady Athena repeated. "But I would be a fool to go myself. I have raised you as my own for twelve years."

No. That wasn't right. It was sixteen wasn't it? Lady Athena had always told him he had spent his whole life in the castle. His mother had abandoned him as an infant and she had raised him ever since. The prospect of having her daughter so near to her must have made her completely oblivious.

Lady Athena smiled at Percy's furrowed eyebrows as he tried to figure it out in his head. "No, Percy, I have not made a mistake." She frowned as she prepared herself to deliver the hardest part of her news. "Your mother was a beautiful woman, Percy and I thought she cared for you a great deal. She came to the castle in search of help. She was pregnant and had nowhere to go. Lady Hera took her in and after you were born, gave her a position as a servant. Four years later, she left and took my daughter with her, I have raised you ever since."

_But you must not be afraid of the woman who will take her, for she is not to blame, do you understand?_ The words the old crone had told him in his dream came back to haunt him. His mother kidnapped Lady Athena's child and left him here? And he wasn't supposed to blame her? Percy was quite sure now that the crazy old woman was . . . well, crazy. She had no idea what she was talking about.

"Percy, I need you to go after Annabeth," Lady Athena whispered. "You are the only one who can. I cannot trust anyone else with this task."

"Annabeth?" Percy asked feeling certain he had only ever heard that name once before—in his dream.

Lady Athena nodded. "My daughter's name. Something I have not uttered since she was taken from me. Percy, will you do this? Will you go and see that she is returned home?"

Alright. So maybe the woman was right about _some_ things. The Lost Child's name was Annabeth. And Lady Athena was counting on him and only him to find her and bring her home.

Percy nodded, addressing Lady Athena's question and putting her at ease. She looked like she was about to break. She had been pretending to be strong for a long time and now there was this small idea that there was a hope she was alive. "I'll need help. I can't go by myself."

Lady Athena nodded, agreeing. "You go and pack some clothes. I'll have some food packed for you and I'll ask a few of the guards to make the trip with you."

"No." Percy shook his head. He knew it was reckless to defy her but if he was going to go on a dangerous mission to find the Lost Child, he was taking somebody who he could trust. "I'll ask Grover to go with me." At her disparaging look he added, "I know you think he's just a servant but, I trust him with my life."

Lady Athena scoffed, "That underling is afraid of his own shadow and you trust him to fight against your enemies? Percy, I beg you to reconsider, there is a life on the line here and Grover Underwood is not up to doing whatever it takes to save it."

But Percy had made up his mind. "I will find your daughter and Grover will be by my side. You'll see." Percy knew it was the wrong day to challenge her but even as her bright grey eyes darkened in response, he did not back down.

"As you wish, Percy. Just bring my daughter home."

Percy left the stables with one last look at Blackjack and headed up to the castle in search of Grover.

He found him in the kitchens, washing the expanse of dirty dishes from supper the night before.

"Grover, man, I need to talk to you!" Percy cried over the hustle and bustle of all the other servants weaving in and out of the kitchens.

Grover grabbed the arm of a passing servant getting soap all over the sleeve of her dress. She nodded at his words and Grover grabbed a towel to wipe his hands and followed Percy out of the noisy kitchens.

"Percy, you know you're not supposed to be here. You could get into trouble for 'fooling around with a servant'. And I really should get back to my duties or—"

"Relax, I think we're good," Percy assured him. "Listen, Lady Athena has reason to believe her daughter is alive in Crete. She's asked me to go and find her and bring her back home to Olympus." Percy paused gauging his friend's response. Grover's eyebrows were raised and his mouth hung open in shock. His friend Grover, the mask of indifference. "If you're willing to come, I'd like you to go with me."

Immediately, Grover began shaking his head. "Percy, I can't. Lady Athena doesn't even like me. What makes you think she will let me go on a quest to find the Lost Child? And it doesn't matter, I won't be of any help to you. It will be dangerous Percy, you need someone you can count on. I'll just let you down. Lady Athena is right, I'm just a servant."

"No, she isn't. You're my friend, Grover. And I need you on this, but if you don't want to come, then that's fine. I'll just go alone." Percy turned around and headed to his room to pack for his solo journey.

Grover grabbed his arm, shaking in fear as he did so. "Percy, if—if you want me along, then of course I'll go."

Percy grinned, happy to have his friend along. He was already shaken up after his dreams and after learning about his mother's role. He _needed_ Grover, more than just as backup. But he didn't let any of that show as he instructed, "Go pack. It's going to be a long journey."

* * *

_"Find that magical place in your world . . . and live there."_

* * *

"Momma?" Cassy's words were quiet, barely above a whisper. Her bright green eyes shook and widened and her lower lip pouted as though she were trying to will herself not to cry.

Their mother smiled reassuringly as she took one of Cassy's small hands. "What is it, sweetie?"

"Is Percy and Grover going to die?" Cassy's voice shook, her hands trembled in the tanned ones of their mother and her eyes quivered, threatening to spill tears.

Their mother shook her head vigorously, trying to stop the weeping before it started. "No, Cass. Why would you think that?"

"Well, they're going on a dangerous mission, right? I mean, we don't know if that guy could be setting a trap for the lady or not. So Percy could just be the bait. Or maybe Lady Athena is evil and secretly wants him to go off to his death!" Callie hypothesized.

Cass's eyes widened in fear but Alexander's just rolled. "Why would she do that? She raised him since his mother left and took her daughter. Don't make this into one of your stories, Cal. We all know how that's going to turn out."

"She could be harboring a grudge!" Callie insisted. "That Percy's mom took the Lost Child, or whatever she's called, and left her own son instead. Wasn't she supposed to be the heir to the throne? And what do you mean about my stories? You've never even read them!"

"That's the point," Alexander fought back, fighting the urge to smile. "No one can read them when they're in password protected files on your computer."

Callie kicked Alexander, not hard enough to hurt, but hard enough that he fell off the bed (which probably _did_ hurt), and hard enough to earn a glare from each of her parents.

"She is right, though, you know," their father announced with a knowing smile at their mother. "If the Lost Child was going to inherit the kingdom then wouldn't Lady Athena be angry that it wasn't her daughter who was trained as the next ruler but the son of the mother who kidnapped her baby?"

"Well, not if she really does loves him," Callie pointed out, flashing a smile at her brother who had made his way back on to her bed during their father's theory. "He could be, you know, like, a replacement for the child she'd lost."

"You're going back on your hunch?" their father asked incredulously.

Callie shrugged. "It's not a hunch, it's my writer's intuition, and I can't just stick with one theory, there must be several possibilities to how something could go. You have to plan for _everything_."

Cass's eyebrows furrowed. "So which plan is right? Is she good or evil?"

Their mother smiled knowingly, "I guess you'll just have to wait and find out, are you ready?"

Cassy shook her head. "I don't want them to die."

And they were back at the very beginning, coming full circle. But their mother, as always, had an answer. "I promise you, only the good people will die."

Cass's green eyes widened in shock. "What?"

Their mother shook their head. "No, I'm sorry. That's not what I meant. I mean, all the _right_ people will die. And by right I mean wrong. Wait, I'm not explaining this right."

"Mom!" Callie shouted, exasperated with her inability to express her words right. "The story!"

"Oh, right, um, where was I?" she asked herself.

"Not killing Percy and Grover," Cassy told her.

"Right, that would be good. I like Percy and Grover," their father added with a lopsided smile.

Their mother hit him across the back of the head in annoyance with a roll of her eyes.

* * *

_"It's funny how every song I hear, every movie I watch, every fairytale I read, reminds me of you."_

* * *

Percy and Grover were both packed and ready to go the next morning.

They climbed atop their horses, Percy on Blackjack and Grover on his horse, Pan. Lady Athena looked up at them from the ground with a frown.

Percy knew she was upset that he had decided to take Grover with him over the castle guards but he didn't really care. Last night, the old woman had plagued his dreams once more, telling him that this—saving the Lost Child—was his destiny. And apparently, that it wouldn't be easy, not that Percy had expected it to be.

_A terrible threat is rising up, Percy Jackson and you must beware. A terrible threat, but not an unfamiliar one. Olympus has been torn down by his armies once before. And only working together, can the Lost Children defeat him. Only working together, can the Lost Children rule the kingdom of Olympus; by the hand of their love for their people and for one another._

Percy didn't know what threat the woman was talking about but he was beginning to seriously doubt her credence. She had been wrong about a lot of things in the two nights since she'd appeared in his dreams, but more than one Lost Child?

The only other child of Lady Athena's was her son Malcolm, but he wasn't lost. He was probably in his bedroom asleep as Percy and Grover set out to find his sister.

"Perseus," Lady Athena called, making Percy flinch as she used his real name, a name he wasn't overly fond of hearing out loud. "Please be careful," she begged, her intelligent grey eyes threatening to overflow with tears.

Percy didn't know why it mattered if he didn't come back. If they found the Lost Child, if they rescued her from his mother, if they brought her back home then she would be the next heir to Olympus not him. The moment this girl entered the bounds of Olympus, he would no longer be needed. Not by his father, nor his mother, nor Lady Athena, nor the rest of the kingdom. She would take his place just as he had taken hers twelve years ago.

Then why was he risking his life for hers?

_Not just your life, but your family, your heart,_ a cold voice echoed inside his head.

_Shut up,_ he told it. _I haven't got any family to lose, remember? And now that I know about everything my mother did to betray this kingdom, I'm glad I don't._

_Ah, so you have forgotten my words then?_ The voice whispered back. _Percy Jackson, you are indeed young, but you have a fine head on your shoulders. I expected better from you. You are blaming circumstances with which you have no hope to understand, fine head or no._

Percy may not believe he was about lose his life, family, or heart, but he was definitely going to lose his mind if he sat on his horse arguing with himself any longer.

He waved his goodbyes to Lady Athena and with a good-natured smile and a wink at Grover, they led their horses towards the woods.

"Percy?" Grover cried as they lost themselves among the throngs of trees and worn dirt paths that led to kingdoms they had never imagined they'd go to before. "Do you really think we'll find the Lost Child? Do you really believe she's out there?"

_Only you can save the queen, Percy. And the Lost Child will be the greatest queen of all._

Percy really wished the old woman's voice would stay out of his head, really wished the old woman's words would stop haunting him. But yes, Percy truly believed the Lost Child—Annabeth—was alive.

Not because the old woman said she was but because Lady Athena believed it was true.

And because of his mother. He knew she was out there, too. He needed to find her, needed to know the truth. But he couldn't tell Grover about his mother's role in the Lost Child's disappearance. He couldn't tell anyone. _You must not be afraid of the woman who will take her, for she is not to blame._ Not until he knew the truth.

And even though smiling was the last thing he felt like doing, with the search for the Lost Child, with his mother's role, with the old woman haunting him not only during the night but during the day as well, he did.

He smiled and told his friend, "Well, I guess we'll just have to find out, won't we?"

* * *

_"It is not happy people who are thankful. It is thankful people who are happy."_

* * *

**AN: And I am truly thankful to those who followed my story. The next chapter will have Annabeth so you can see what her life has been like for the past twelve years and it will most likely be up by next Friday. Though I've been working on this chapter on and off all day today and just finished around ten (pm) so it will probably be late Friday unless I finish sooner.**

**readwritelovelife**


	3. Beginning of Adventure

**AN: Another Friday, another chapter. Please enjoy, read, review, favorite, follow, all that other stuff. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the three children. I don't even own their parents.**

* * *

_"The man who never reads, lives only once." George R.R. Martin_

* * *

Annabeth Chase took a deep breath of fresh air as she looked out over the city from her hill. She flipped the page in the novel she was reading but she couldn't actually read it. The sight of the city was intoxicating.

She had never left the property of the small land where she'd lived her entire life. Her mother was always worried that she couldn't take care of herself, that if she left the property, she'd get hurt.

So, after she finished with her household chores and taking care of the animals, she rode her horse, Athens, to the tallest hill at the edge of the property where she could see the city she had never touched. She sat on an old plaid blanket that was worn and frayed around the edges and read hundreds of novels.

Novels about long forgotten princesses who had lived a normal life without all the luxuries that came with being a princess; beautiful dresses, fine jewelry, and no restrictions. Novels about princes who usually didn't want to be princes, running away from the responsibilities of being a king, running into the long forgotten princess. Together, they had a fantastic adventure, made mistakes, and fell desperately in love with each other. And usually, their happy ending was ruling a great kingdom side by side, happy and in love and free.

But Annabeth was stuck feeding pigs and cows and chickens and horses, cleaning out the stables, milking the cows, gathering the chicken's eggs. If she was also responsible for the vegetable garden her mother took care of, they would have nothing but meat, milk, and eggs to live off of for the garden would have died out years ago.

Annabeth often wished that her novels could be real. That some handsome stranger could take her off to a faraway land and make her the queen of it. She could fall in love and have a happy ending, go on a magical adventure and give her heart away to someone who loved her.

But she was a farm girl, had been that way all her life and would be that until the day she died.

Annabeth sighed and went back to her novel realizing that she couldn't read the small words on the page. It had gotten too dark. The sun was sinking low over the city covering it in a shower of gold and pink.

She sighed again then, she picked up the small bit of paper she had been using as a bookmark and marked her place. She stood up and folded her old blanket, stuffing it and her book into her bag. "Come on, Athens," she whispered, jumping up onto her horse. "Let's go home."

She rode the ten minutes home across the vast lands her mother owned. It wasn't as if they were rich, or even well-off, but they survived she supposed. Annabeth never knew where the money came from to purchase the lands; they raised their own animals to produce food, grew a garden to produce even more. Sometimes her mother went to a butcher with an old cow who had stopped producing milk or a fat pig for the meat they enjoyed. The cheese and butter made from the cows' milk was made by her mother's hands not a specialist in the market, so it's not as if any money was wasted, if they could do it themselves, then they did. But they hadn't saved up enough money to buy the expansive lands they lived on.

Annabeth shook her head. The money was a problem her mother kept to herself. Annabeth was only sixteen and able to do most of the work her mother could, (besides that blasted garden), her mother had never told her of the financial aspects.

Her mother was an overprotective one as could be seen by the forbiddance to leave the property. She had never been to the market with her mother or dealt with the butcher or the little old lady who sold her mother the seeds for the vegetable garden.

Annabeth guided Athens into the stables and slid off of her. Then she went inside and sighed. She seemed to be doing a lot of sighing today.

"Mother?" she cried as she crossed the floor to her mother sitting in her chair by the fire. Usually, she was in bed by the time the sun went down but as she reached her, Annabeth saw why she wasn't. "Mother?" she asked again, shaking her.

Her mother stared at nothing, the fire illuminating the glistening tears running down her cheek. Ever year during the summer, her mother sat down in her chair by the fire and cried into the darkness. Some sort of anniversary Annabeth didn't understand.

She sighed. Her mother wasn't responding to the movement and her tears were falling even harder, even faster. She stopped shaking her mother and let go of her shoulders looking to the spot on the wall she was staring at.

A touch on her harm jerked her back to her mother. Her big brown eyes were wet and heartbroken. "It's all my fault."

"Mother," Annabeth whispered kneeling down beside her. "What are you talking about? What's your fault?"

Her mother shook her head. "Everything. It's all my fault. I couldn't do anything to stop it and I—I had to get out of there. He would have told somebody if I didn't leave."

"What are you talking about?" Annabeth repeated going back to shaking her mother, grabbing her by the shoulders once more.

"Annabeth?" Her mother's eyes focused on her and took on a confused expression. "What's going on? Where have you been? You didn't leave the property did you?"

Annabeth ignored the fact that her mother seemed to completely forget everything that had just occurred. And since she had no earthly idea what was her fault she did, too. "I was out by the property edge with Athens, just reading a book," she answered, calming her mother's fears. "Come on, you should go up to bed. You've had a long day."

Her mother nodded in agreement. "Yes, and it will be even longer tomorrow. And the days after that."

Annabeth's eyebrows furrowed in utter confusion. "Why what do you mean?" Annabeth was getting a little tired of not having answers. She didn't like not knowing.

"I—I have to leave." Her mother hesitated before it all came out, the words rushed and mingled. "I'm leaving tomorrow to make a trip to Olympus." Her eyes looked into the depths of the fire and at the cracked floors; anywhere but Annabeth.

And not for the first time, Annabeth was struck with the thought that she looked absolutely nothing like her mother. Her mother had thick brown hair and eyes to match, deep and emotional. Annabeth had long blond curls she always wore back while she worked and grey eyes that she had been told were intimidating and calculating.

And just now, her intense eyes were narrowed in suspicion. Her mother was going to Olympus? But she hated the kingdom, hated its king and its council, and she hated its people. She had told Annabeth to stay away from it ever since she was a little girl, explaining the horror stories about it just before she went to sleep. Why would she go back?

"Mother, I don't understand. You hate Olympus. What exactly is there that has changed your mind to make a lovely little trip?" Her voice dripped with acid, cold and angry, but she didn't much care.

"Annabeth please," her mother whispered. She was still avoiding eye contact. "I may have no love for Lord Zeus or his kingdom but there are people who do. People who I do care about, Annabeth." She paused and looked at her daughter. "There was a girl when I lived in Olympus a long time ago. She was a good friend and we kept in contact even after I . . . left. I'm need to see her, and she can't leave Olympus, Annabeth, the only way is for me to go to her. So that's what I am doing."

Annabeth couldn't believe this. Her mother had never mentioned any old friends still living in Olympus. But she knew that she would regret any words said in anger if her mother didn't make her trip back so she held her tongue. "Then you're right. It will be a very long trip and if you're leaving tomorrow then you should go get some sleep and not sit in your chair daydreaming and staring off into the darkness."

Her mother winced. "I did it again?" At Annabeth's nod, she put her face in her hands and groaned. "Annabeth, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—"

"You spoke this time," she announced. "Something about everything being all your fault and that if you hadn't left 'he would have told somebody'? What did you mean?"

Her eyes went back to eyeing the fire and ignoring Annabeth's. "I don't know," she lied. Because, how could she not be lying? "I don't remember." Another lie.

"It's alright. Come on, you should really get to bed, and I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked." Annabeth didn't really think it was alright that her mother was lying and she wasn't sorry about anything. But she did love her mother and if it really was the last time she saw her, she didn't want her to leave while they were on ill terms.

And finally her mother agreed and they both went upstairs to bed and Annabeth watched as her mother disappeared into her bedroom and closed the door.

After dressing in her nightgown and lying in bed, it took a long time for her to actually fall asleep. She kept thinking about her novels. Her princesses and princes meeting and falling in love getting their happy ending. She thought about the slim chance she had to have her own adventure, her own happy ending.

And finally, she thought about her mother. About the times over the years that she had come home to her mother sitting in her old chair by the fireplace and staring at blank spots on the wall. About tonight when she had spoken; now everything was different. She was guilty about something but for the life of her Annabeth couldn't figure out why. What secret was she hiding?

* * *

_"Fairy tales are more than true; not because they tell us dragons exist, but because they tell us that dragons can be beaten."_

* * *

"_Annabeth, sit still. It's time for bed," her mother pleaded._

"_Tell me a story!" Annabeth begged. "A story! A story!" She jumped up and down in her bed until her mother complied with a soft, sad smile._

"_Once upon a time, there was a beautiful young woman who was the daughter of a blacksmith. And one day, as a handsome man came to her father's workshop to collect his sword, she fell in love. _

"_But this man was rich and important and their love was forbidden, though because they couldn't stand to lose each other, they kept it a secret. And when the woman had a baby, she couldn't tell anyone who the child's father was for it would be her death._

"_She went to a great palace where her and her child were loved and accepted, though the secret of her child's father was still a secret. And she lived for several years as a servant in the palace while her child grew up, surrounded by other children._

"_But there came a time when her secret came out and a young man learned of it and threatened to tell everyone if she didn't do whatever he wanted her to do. So the woman did what she thought was best, and she ran."_

_Annabeth gasped, gripping the edges of her bed, her sheets and blankets caught up in her small fists. "Did she leave her baby, Mama?" Her grey eyes were overflowing with tears, unable to think about the loss the lady must have felt for her child, the loss the child must have felt for her mother. And the tears only flowed harder as her mother nodded. "I don't like this story!"_

_Her mother smiled softly. "I know, but the best part has yet to come. Yes, the mother left her child, but gained another one. A beautiful baby girl who has become her entire world. And they may not have a happily ever after, but the story isn't over you see. _

"_Mother and child are still separated, but the woman knows that one day they will be together again. And she does love her daughter, Annabeth. And she always will. Fairy tales are not always happy, the hero always has to go through some magical adventure before they can live happily ever after, do you understand?"_

_Annabeth nodded, her eyes still wet with tears. "Is the handsome man the hero? Will he come and rescue the woman and her baby?"_

_Her mother shook her head. "I don't know, that's as far as the story goes. But one day, it will be complete, and I'll tell you the whole story again when it is. How does that sound?"_

_Annabeth nodded eagerly, a beautiful smile gracing her small face. "Goodnight, Mama. I love you."_

_Her mother smiled and laughed at her young daughter. "I love you, too, Annabeth. Never forget that."_

_She tucked her daughter in, making sure she was completely covered in blankets to protect her from the chill of the winter. "I hope everyone in that story gets a happy after really soon," she mumbled dreamily, closing her grey eyes and falling asleep amid her blankets and pillows. _

_Annabeth felt her mother's soft lips on her forehead and heard her whisper quietly, "Me too, my dear Lost Child, me too."_

* * *

_"It's funny how every song I hear, every movie I watch, every fairytale I read, reminds me of you."_

* * *

"Well, we know what secret the pregnant lady was hiding, I guess we can stop now and go to bed," Callie announced.

"What? No!" Cassy cried. "Momma just revealed one secret only to say that there is about a jillion more!"

"That's not even a real number!" Alexander scoffed.

Callie ignored him to point out, "Look, we know that the pregnant lady was hiding the identity of Percy's father, that's all we need to know! Now, come on, I need sleep!"

"But, we don't know who he is, or who backmailed her into leaving and accidentally kidnapping Annabeth!"

"Um, Cass?" their father asked "I'm pretty sure it's _black_mail not backmail."

"Oh," Cassy looked down at her small hands, deep in thought. "Really?" She shrugged. "Oh well, we still can't stop the story. The 'venture hasn't happened or the love!"

Cassy looked at her older sister with her big green eyes and her lower lip shook and Callie rolled her eyes, her stance broken. She did say that the story needed to be finished, but at this rate, she was going to have to cancel on Taylor. "Fine, the pregnant lady, has to go on her trip back to Olympus anyway, right?"

Cassy nodded and pointed out, "And we don't know why either!"

"I thought she was going to see a friend," Alexander said. "And, you know, she isn't actually pregnant anymore, stop calling her the 'pregnant lady'."

Callie shrugged. "We don't know her name, for all we know it could be, Elizabeth or Katherine, or maybe—"

"Okay, I get it, let me guess, 'writer's intuition'?" Alexander mocked.

"I like Sally," Cass proclaimed. "I think that's a nice name for a nice lady."

"She kidnapped someone's baby," Callie told her.

"Well, not on purpose," Cass insisted.

"Okay, guys, come on, no more arguing," their father pleaded. "The floor is all yours," he told their mother with a lopsided grin.

* * *

_"I don't know how you do it, but every time I see you, I believe in fairy tales again."_

* * *

Annabeth woke up and headed downstairs to find her mother already gone, a note sitting in her chair by the unlit fireplace.

_Dear Annabeth,_

_I know you'll be upset that I didn't say goodbye, but I couldn't give you the chance to change my mind. And you know you would have tried._

_Do all of your chores and DON'T leave the house, not even to ride Athens._

_I don't know when I'll be back from visiting Charlotte (my friend) but I will hurry to come home as soon as I can._

_I love you, my Princess_

Annabeth sighed, regretting that she couldn't at least see her mother off though she knew she was right; she _would_ have begged her to stay. Or at least begged her to ask Charlotte to come here instead.

Annabeth shook her head, knowing there wasn't anything that could be done now that her mother was already gone. Though she went outside to work with a small smile playing on her lips.

It had been several years since her mother had called her Princess. Since she was seven, at least. No, wait, seven was when Annabeth had taught herself how to fight with a dagger after her mother had insisted that she was innocent and couldn't handle the dangers of the outside world.

Annabeth laughed quietly to herself as she bent down to retrieve the eggs and place them gently in her wicker basket. How furious her mother had been when she found her fighting with some of the neighborhood boys with her small bronze dagger—and _winning_!

As she moved on to feeding and milking the cows, she remembered actually getting the dagger 'for her own protection' on her fifth birthday but never actually being taught to use it. Her mother sometimes made very little sense.

And when it came time for the feeding of the pigs, she thought back to the dream she had the night before. She remembered being told that story many times before bed. It was the saddest story she'd ever heard but also the happiest, because she knew that it wasn't over, that there was still hope.

Hope for the woman who lost her child, hope for the child who lost her mother, hope for the man who lost the woman he loved all because she was a blacksmith's daughter. But most of all she believed in the hope for the woman's new child though she really didn't even know what to hope for when she had everything. She had a family and a home, and someone who loved her very much.

Annabeth was feeding and grooming the horses as she realized that in her dream, her mother had called her a Lost Child. What on earth did that mean? She had never heard her mother call her that before.

A rustle deep in the woods behind the stables, caught her attention as she headed back up to the house. She turned, but saw nothing, staring into the thick trees of the forest. Shaking her head, she trudged back up to the house and shut the door behind her, locking it.

She cleaned up the house, taking over the duties her mother usually took care of as well. And when she was done, she lit a candle, curled up in her mother's chair, and read her novel.

She fell asleep just after the princess (who had yet to learn that she was a princess) and the prince (who actually hadn't told the princess who he was) had kissed for the very first time. And both of them were denying their growing feelings for each other while everyone else saw right through their pretense.

She woke up not able to breathe, something clamped her mouth shut and her eyes widened as she realized that someone was in the house with her. "Scream, and this knife goes inside your chest," a deep voice whispered.

Annabeth felt the cold pressure of a small dagger through her thin dress. The man's hand left her mouth, the knife left her chest, and she whispered, "What do you want with me?"

She felt the knife up to her throat. "_Talk_, and I won't think twice about it," the man whispered in her ear. "If you _move_," he added, "well, I'm sure you know what will happen, don't you, sweetheart?" She heard the man shuffle behind her and soon she felt his arms reach around her as they tied her up with rope; her hands were bound to her side. An old rag was put in her mouth. "Now, get up," he ordered.

Annabeth complied, though she supposed some of the credit could go to the man who had a strong grip on her hair. Not daring to make a sound, as she sincerely believed that he meant what he had said, she only winced at his hold. He dragged her outside into the heat of the night and she saw a couple of horses and another man beside the animals.

Wonderful, so there were two men plotting to kidnap her while her mother was away on a trip to a place she had always told Annabeth she hated. How could her day get any worse?

The man behind her shoved her towards the horses and his acquaintance, growled, "Watch her," to his buddy, then disappeared into the stables where Athens was held up. He emerged a few moments later with Athens trotting along behind him. "This your horse?" he called.

If Annabeth knew one thing about the men who were getting ready to take her from her home, it was that they weren't very intelligent. The man who was watching her and the horses, just kept eyeing her and as long as Annabeth felt the cold of her bronze dagger strapped to her thigh underneath her dress, he wasn't very frightening. Of course, getting to the dagger to attack the exotic-looking man was an entirely different story.

The other man, the one who kept threatening her and was now asking idiotic questions about a horse that was obviously hers when her mother had taken hers off to Olympus, gave Annabeth the impression that he was slightly more dangerous. The eye patch for one thing threw her off, though she knew it really shouldn't. He probably used it for that purpose, to scare people. It wasn't as if she couldn't fight him if she had to. As soon as she found out how to get out of these bindings.

Annabeth nodded in response to his question and he pulled Athens even closer towards the other horses. Then, he took out his knife and cut the ropes that bound her arms to her sides and wrapped his arms around her waist and hoisted her up on her horse.

"You're out in front," he called. "You go anywhere we tell you not to, or you try to run, we will hunt you down and cut you open, understood? And don't take off the gag, either. I'm not much for having a conversation with a poor little farm girl."

So maybe the man in the eye patch wasn't as foolish as she thought. He knew who she was, though maybe that meant he was exactly as thick as she believed. If he knew she didn't have money, why was he kidnaping her?

But Annabeth decided not to do anything rash. No removing the gag, no trying to outrun them, no taking any wrong turns. Until she understood what was going on, she was going to do exactly what these bandits told her to do.

They rode all night and Annabeth had to fight against her weakening limbs and her sore muscles, ignoring the pain. She knew the men wouldn't let her stop for anything, probably convincing themselves that she was going to run if she bothered to ask. Not that she could with a dirty rag in her mouth. What was on this thing? Did they dip it the mud pit made for the pigs before putting in her mouth?

They came to a clearing before the man with the eye patch yelled, "Stop!" Annabeth pulled on the reins of her horse and did as he told her to, squinting into the dark as she took in her surroundings. There were old, dirty blankets draped over low tree branches to make a shelter. Three of them. Either they planned on kidnapping her or there was someone else here.

He came out of the nearest makeshift tent, his face covered by a mask. "Why aren't you fools wearing your masks? Now she's seen your faces!"

"She was asleep when I went in," defended the man in the eye patch. "She woke up when I went to grab her, I—I"

The third man took off his mask though Annabeth almost wished he didn't. He was too handsome; sandy blond hair, bright blue eyes, even the thick scar that ran down the side of his face. "No excuses, Nakamura!" he yelled, making Annabeth wince. He wasn't nearly as handsome when he was angry.

The man, who was obviously the leader of this ragtag little group of bandits, looked at her and frowned. "What's your name?"

They didn't know? They had set out to kidnap her specifically and they didn't know her name? The man reached out and took off her gag and he smiled at her as she spit the taste of dirt and mud out of her mouth and onto the ground.

She should have spat in his face, she thought bitterly, and she thought back to yesterday afternoon when she had wished for a magical adventure, a life, a love. If this was her handsome prince, she'd rather go back to feeding slop to pigs and collecting eggs.

"What's your name?" he repeated, the harsh tone in his soft voice made her shiver. Or was that the cold? She _was_ out in the middle of the forest in the dead of night.

"What do you want with me?" she asked, ignoring his question completely. He couldn't just order her to be kidnapped and demand answers from her. Her mother had always told her growing up that she was the most stubborn child she had ever met. Well, tonight, Annabeth was going to prove it, if it killed her. "If you're going to kill me, then do it already," she whispered venomously.

The man had the nerve to laugh at her and Annabeth took a cautious step back; when he laughed, he didn't look nearly as angry, or as frightening (not that she was scared of him, anyway). "Oh, no. We're not going to kill you, not even going to lay a finger on you." He smiled again. "You're feisty. He'll like that, he'll have some use for you."

"Who?" she wondered, her voice shaking, her entire body along with it. Not from fear, she told herself. From the cold.

The bandit noticed her shiver and cried out, "Rodriguez, get her a blanket." Then he turned to Annabeth and smiled, his scar seeming to disappear with the happy expression on his face. The scar shouldn't be there, not when there was a smile, too. "That's an excellent question. One you have yet to answer. Who are you?" He chuckled. "Though, I suppose it would only be right to introduce myself. I _did_ kidnap you, it's the least I could do."

He stuck out his hand and Annabeth just stared at it. He _kidnapped_ her and he expected her to play nice and shake his hand? "Name's Luke. Over there, that's Ethan," he pointed to the man who had broken into her house and kidnapped her, the man with the black eye patch, "and that's Chris."

Annabeth suddenly shrank back as hands landed on her shoulders, though it was just Chris wrapping her in a blanket. Her chills did not stop.

Luke's hand was still stretched out towards her and he must have realized she wasn't going to touch it as he took it back. "Annabeth," she whispered, immediately regretting the choice to not lie. "My name is Annabeth."

Luke smiled a knowing smile, one that most definitely fit on a face with a scar like his. Absentmindedly, she wondered how he had gotten it, though she figured it wasn't a story he would be willing to tell.

"Welcome, _Annabeth_, to Camp Half-Blood."

* * *

_"Once in a while, right in the middle of an ordinary life, love gives us a fairy tale."_

* * *

**AN: I am satisfied with the amount of time I am giving myself to write these chapters and satisfied with the chapters themselves. A week is plenty of time for me to write and edit and do whatever needs to be done. **

**However, today I am helping my dad build a grill so we can cook hamburgers for supper. My little brother's birthday is on Sunday so we will probably be gone all day and on Tuesday, I have plans with my best friend. **

**Add all of that to the fact that I really don't know how to get the next chapter where I want it to be, I will probably need more than a week.**

**I will still try to get the next chapter done by Friday, but if not it will be by next next Friday (4/25).**

**readwritelovelife**


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